Improvement in attaching the connecting-bar to the cutters of harvesters



UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES LITTLE ANI) \VYLIE LITTLE, OF PRINCETON, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT lN ATTACHING THE CONNECTING-BAR TO THE CUTTERS 0FHARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. E 3.! 76, dated July 3,1855.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JAMES LITTLE and WYLIE LITTLE, of Princeton, in thecounty ot' Gibson and State of Indiana, have invented a new and ImprovedltIowlng-ltlaehiuc; and we do hereby declare that the followingr is afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-Figure l is a front view ot' our improved machine, the driving-wheelbeing bisected vertically through its center. Fig. 2 is a plan or topview ot the same. Fig. 3 is a frontview of a portion of the sickle. Fig.4 is a plan or top view of the saine. Fig. 5 is a side view of one ot'the ngers, the linger-bar to which the iingers are attached beingbisected transversely. Fig. Gis an inverted plan of three of the liugersattached tothe linger-bar.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

Our invention consists in the peculiar manner of attaching the pitman orconnecting-rod to the sickle-bar, as will be hereinafter shown anddescribed.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully understand and constructour invention, we will proceed to describe it.

A, Figs. l and 2, represents a `metallic bar, having bearings a a, onits upper surface, in which the axle b of a driving-wheel, B. works.

The driving-wheel B is placed loosely on the.

axle b, and O is a wheel, which is permanently secured on said axle. Thewheel C is somewhat smaller than the driving-wheel B, and it joins 0rworks by the side of a circular rim, c, on the arms of thedriving-wheel. On the outer edge or surface of the wheel O there issecured a pawl, d, one or more. (See Fig. l.) The pawl or pawls catchagainst the edges of the arms of the driving-wheel B, said arms eX-tending a tritle beyond the face of the rim c. The inner end ofthe bar Ais bent or curved, asclearly shown iu Fig. l, and the linger-bar D issecured by bolts d to the inner end of the bar A, said finger-bar beingalso bent, so as to bring a portion of it near the surface of thegroove. (See Fig. 1.) j

E E E are ngers,any proper number being used, and attached to thefinger-bar D. The fingers E are formed each of a single piece of metal,and have a longitudinal slot,c,in lthem, extending nearly to their frontends, as shown in Fig. o. The back parts of the slots` are rather widerthan the front, so as to receive the bar I) and sickle-bar F, the teethfot' the sickle working in the front parts of the slots. The lower edgesofthe fingers E have ledges or projcctionsg on their under surfaces, asshown in Figs. 5 and 6, for the purpose ot' keeping the sickle theproper distance from the surface ot' the ground. The finger-bar D isplaced in the back parts ofthe slots cot' the fingers,and rivets h. passthrough both the top and bottom parts ot' the lingers and bar D, asshown in Fig. 5, one rivet being shown by dotted lines. The back partsot' the fingers E, both on the upper and the lower side ot the bar D,are in contact or join each other, (see j Figs. 2 and 6,) so that thefingers are kept iirm and prevented from working loose. The teeth f areattached to the bar F by rivets g', and suitable spaces areleft betweenthe teeth, as shown in Fig. 4. One end of the bar F is provided with acylindrical projection, l, over which one end of the pitman orconnectingrod G is fitted. The projection t' is of slightly taper form,and the end of' the pitman is provided with a loop, j, which is tit-tedover the projection i, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, thus forming a simpleand eiiicient connection. The` opposite end of the pitman orconnecting-rod Gr is attached to the end of a lever, 7c, which is at theend of a small shaft, H,working in suitable bearings, l, attached to anarm, I, which is connected to the bar A. The shaft H has a small gearedsector, m, upon it, (see Fig. l.) and this sector gears into acorresponding sector, u, on a shaft, J, which works in suitable bearingsunderneath the shaft H. One end ot' both shafts H J has au arm, K,attached to it, against the ends of which teeth or projections 0 on theside ofthe wheel (l act.

At the outer end of the finger-bar A there is attached, by a hinge orjoint,.p, a track-clearer, L. (ShowniuFigslandl) This track-clearer, inconsequence ot' the joint or hinge p, is allowed to pass overobstructions, and will rise or fall, accommodating itself to theunevenness of the ground.

M represents the tongue or draft-pole, attached to the arm I, as shownin Figs. land 2.

N is the driver-s seat, secured to a frame, O, said frame being attachedto the bar A.

As the machine is drawn along the drivingwheel B, in consequence of thepawl d catching against its arms, rotates the wheel G, and the teeth orprojections 0 act upon the ends of the arms l( K, the upper arrnK forcesthe sickle outward and the lower arm draws it in, and consequently areciprocating motion is given the sickle, the connection between twoshafts H J,to which the arms K K are attached, being` formed by thesectors m n. If the machine is backed, the sickle is not operated,because the pawl (Z does not in that case catch against the arm of thedriving-wheel, and consequently thedriving-wheelwillturnloosely on itsaxle.

Byconnecting the pitman or connecting-rod Gto the bar F, as shown, thepitman may be readily detached from the bar, and the play orlooseness-which is' soon occasioned by wear in the ordinary attachmentsis avoided. Our mode of connecting the pitlnan and bar is very durable,as'the cylindrical projection i forms a solid mass of metal for the loopj to work over, and the projection fi, being ot' conical or taperi'orxn, compensates for any wear that may be caused by friction.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Let- JAMES LITTLE. VYLlE LTTLF.

Y Witnesses;

A. I. WRiGHT, J Essie HooRE.

